Molecular properties and In silico bioactivity evaluation of (4-fluorophenyl)[5)-3-phen-(4-nitrophenyl yl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]methanone derivatives: DFT and molecular docking approaches

Objectives

Molecular structures, spectroscopic properties, charge distributions, frontier orbital energies, nonlinear optical (NLO) properties and molecular docking simulations were analyzed to examine the bio-usefulness of a series of (4-fluorophenyl)[5-(4-nitrophenyl)-3-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]methanone derivatives.

Methods

The compounds were studied through computational methods. Equilibrium optimization of the compounds was performed at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory, and geometric parameters, frequency vibration, UV-vis spectroscopy and reactivity properties were predicted on the basis of density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Results

The energy gap (ΔEg), electron donating/accepting power (ω-/ω+) and electron density response toward electrophiles/nucleophiles calculated for M1 and M2 revealed the importance of substituent positioning on compound chemical behavior. In addition, ω-/ω+ and ΔEn/ΔEe indicated that M6 is more electrophilic because of the presence of two NO₂ groups, which enhanced its NLO properties. The hyperpolarizability (β₀) of the compounds ranged from 5.21 × 10^-30 to 7.26 × 10^-30 esu and was greater than that of urea; thus, M1-M6 were considered possible candidates for NLO applications. Docking simulation was also performed on the studied compounds and targets (PDB ID: 5ADH and 1RO6), and the calculated binding affinity and non-bonding interactions are reported.

Conclusion

The calculated ω^- and ω⁺ indicated the electrophilic nature of the compounds; M6, a compound with two NO₂ groups, showed enhanced effects. Molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) analysis indicated that amide and nitro groups on the compounds were centers of electrophilic attacks. The magnitude of the molecular hyperpolarizability suggested that the entire compound had good NLO properties and therefore could be explored as a candidate NLO material. The docking results indicated that these compounds have excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Synthesis, crystal structure, DFT, Hirshfeld surface analysis, energy framework, docking and molecular dynamic simulations of (E)-4-(4-methylbenzyl)-6-styrylpyridazin-3(2H)-one as anticancer agent

In this work, a novel crystal, (E)-4-(4-methylbenzyl)-6-styrylpyridazin-3(2H)-one (E-BSP) was synthesized via Knoevenagel condensation of benzaldehyde and (E)-6-(4-methoxystyryl)-4,5-dihydropyridazin-3(2H)-one. The molecular structure of E-BSP was confirmed by using FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, UV-vis, ESI-MS, TGA/DTA thermal analyses and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The DFT/B3LYP methods with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set were used to determine the vibrational modes over the optimized structure. Potential energy distribution (PED) and the VEDA 4 software were used to establish the theoretical mode assignments. The same approach was used to compute the energies of frontier molecular orbitals (HOMO-LUMO), global reactivity descriptors, and molecular electrostatic potential (MEP). Additionally, experimental and computed UV spectral parameters were determined in methanol and the obtained outputs were supported by FMO analysis. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation analyses of the E-BSP against six proteins obtained from different cancer pathways were carried out. The proteins include; epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Estrogen receptor (ERα), Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), Progesterone receptor (PR) (Breast cancer), Human cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) (Colorectal cancer), and Survivin (Squamous cell carcinoma/Non-small cell lung cancer). The results of the analyses showed that the compound had less binding energies ranging between -6.30 to -9.09 kcal/mol and formed stable complexes at the substrate-binding site of the proteins after the 50 ns MD simulation. Therefore, E-BSP was considered a potential inhibitor of different cancer pathways and should be used for the treatment of cancer after experimental validation and clinical trial.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Synthesis, crystal structure, and a molecular modeling approach to identify effective antiviral hydrazide derivative against the main protease of SARS-CoV-2

In the fall of 2019, a new type of coronavirus took place in Wuhan city, China, and rapidly spread across the world and urges the scientific community to develop antiviral therapeutic agents. In our effort we have synthesized a new hydrazide derivative, (E)-N'-(1-(4-bromophenyl)ethylidene)-2-(6-methoxynaphthalen-2-yl)propanehydrazide for this purpose because of its potential inhibitory proprieties. The asymmetric unit of the title molecule consists of two independent molecules differing noticeably in conformation. In the crystal, the independent molecules are linked by N-H···O and C-H···O hydrogen bonds and C-H···π(ring) interactions into helical chains extending along the b-axis direction. The chains are further joined by additional C-H···π(ring) interactions into the full 3-D structure. To obtain a structure-activity relationship, the DFT-NBO analysis is performed to study the intrinsic electronic properties of the title compound. Molecular modeling studies were also conducted to examine the binding affinity of the compound for the SARS-CoV-2 main protease enzyme and to determine intermolecular binding interactions. The compound revealed a stable binding mode at the enzyme active pocket with a binding energy value of -8.1 kcal/mol. Further, stable dynamics were revealed for the enzyme-compound complex and reported highly favorable binding energies. The net MMGBSA binding energy of the complex is -37.41 kcal/mol while the net MMPBSA binding energy is -40.5 kcal/mol. Overall, the compound disclosed the strongest bond of ing the main protease enzyme and might be a good lead for further structural optimization.

Hydride Relay Exchange Mechanism for the Heterocyclic C-H Arylation of Benzofuran and Benzothiophene Catalyzed by Pd Complexes

The mechanism and regioselectivity of the heterocyclic C-H arylation of benzofuran and benzothiophene catalyzed by Pd(OAc)₂ complexes were investigated using the density functional theory (DFT) method. The Pd(0)L₂(PhI) complex (L = HOAc) is proposed to be the catalytic species. Compared to the traditional Heck-type mechanism, concerted metalation-deprotonation (CMD) mechanism, and electrophilic aromatic substitution (S_EAr) mechanism for the C-H arylation, a new hydride relay exchange mechanism was proposed for the benzoheterocyclic C-H arylation catalyzed by Pd complexes, which consists of two redox processes between Pd(II) and Pd(0) species to complete the regioselective C-H activation. The calculated results indicate that the reaction along the hydride relay exchange mechanism is more favorable than those along other mechanisms, including the traditional Heck-type mechanism and the base-assisted anti-H elimination mechanism. This agrees well with the experimental results. Meanwhile, the origin for the regioselective C-H arylation was unveiled in which the α-C-H arylation products are major for the heterocyclic C-H arylation of benzofuran, but the β-C-H arylation products are major for that of benzothiophene. This study might provide a deep mechanistic understanding on the regioselective C-H activation and arylation of benzoheterocycle compounds catalyzed by transition-metal complexes.

Theoretical search of crystal polymorphs of temozolomide

Possible polymorphic forms of the chemotherapy drug, temozolomide were predicted from the ab initio and DFT methods. The lattice minimization via distributed multipole analysis was carried out for the hypothetical generated structures. A crystal with unit cell parameters close to the real one and of same space group was retrieved, with partly similar packing and interactions. The analysis of inter molecular interaction (through Hirshfeld surface) and electrostatic potential reveals the complementary sites in the molecule. The 26 predicted structures were analyzed with respect to two computed lattice energies and hydrogen-bond propensity. The lattice energy of the real crystal [EXP] packing ranked number 6 compared on the basis of DMACRYS software and number 3 on the basis of the total lattice energy issued from the Crystalexplorer17 software at the B3LYP/6-31G∗∗ level of theory. The molecule has two strong hydrogen bond donors and five strong acceptors. The predicted packings are stabilized by one or two strong N–H…O/N–H…N as well as weak C–H…O/C–H…N and H…π hydrogen bonds. While the real structure with Z’ = 1, EXP, forms only one strong H-bond (N–H…O=C), several of the predicted packings form two strong H-bonds. Two predicted crystal packings have unit cell parameters close to the real structure, one of them shares several common intermolecular interactions.

Synthesis, Spectroscopic Characterization, Single-Crystal Structure, Hirshfeld Surface Analysis, and Antimicrobial Studies of 3-Acetoxy-2-methylbenzoic Anhydride

We report a novel anhydride derivative, 3-acetoxy-2-methylbenzoic anhydride (AMA), obtained from the interaction of 3-acetoxy-2-methylbenzoyl chloride with 3-acetoxy-2-methylbenzoic acid. The synthesized compound was characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic studies and single-crystal X-ray crystallography which revealed the crystallization of AMA as monoclinic with space group P2₁/c. A Hirshfeld surface analysis was performed to record various intermolecular interactions, indicating the stabilization of the AMA structure by the intermolecular weak C-H···O hydrogen bonds and π···π interactions. The title compound was screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities using a serial dilution technique under aseptic conditions. The results indicate that the title compound has significant antibacterial properties but showed no antifungal behavior.

Synthesis of Crystalline Fluoro-Functionalized Imines, Single Crystal Investigation, Hirshfeld Surface Analysis, and Theoretical Exploration

This investigation is focused on the synthesis of two halo-functionalized crystalline Schiff base (imine) compounds: (E)-2-methoxy-6-(((3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)imino)methyl)phenol (MFIP) and (E)-1-(((2-fluorophenyl)imino)methyl)naphthalen-2-ol (FPIN) by the condensation reaction of substituted benzaldehydes and substituted aniline. The crystal structures of MFIP and FPIN were determined unambiguously by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) studies. Intermolecular interactions and the role of fluorine atoms in the stabilization of the crystal packing are explored for both compounds using Hirshfeld surface analysis. Accompanied with experimental studies, quantum chemical calculations were also performed for comprehensive structure elucidation at the M06/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. A comparison of experimental and density functional theory results for geometrical parameters exhibited excellent agreement. Interestingly, Frontier molecular orbitals and natural bond orbital (NBO) findings revealed that intramolecular charge transfer and hyper-conjugation interactions had played a significant role to stabilize the molecules. Both compounds exhibited a relatively larger value of hardness with a smaller global softness, which, as proposed by the SC-XRD and NBO study, shows a higher stability. Nonlinear optical (NLO) findings showed that FPIN manifested a larger value of linear polarizability (<a> = 293.06 a.u.) and second-order hyperpolarizability (<γ> = 3.31 × 10⁵ a.u.) than MFIP (<a> = 252.42 and <γ> = 2.08 × 10⁵ a.u.) due to an extended conjugation. The above-mentioned findings of the entitled compounds may play a crucial role in NLO applications.

Uncovering the origins of supramolecular similarity in a series of benzimidazole structures

Quantitative similarity indices (IX) were combined with crystallization mechanism proposals to shed more light on the origins of the supramolecular similarity between a series of benzimidazole derivative structures.

Experimental and theoretical insights into the formation of weak hydrogen bonds and H⋯H bonding interactions in the solid-state structure of two eucalyptol derivatives

We report the synthesis and X-ray solid-state structure of two eucalyptol derivatives. Both compounds form self-assembled dimers establishing C–H⋯O hydrogen bonds and H⋯H bonding interactions.